WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK

What are you willing to give me?

Talk about lowering your expectations! Judas went to the chief priests to ask what they would give him in exchange for Jesus. Instead, Judas should have gone to Jesus and asked him what he was prepared to give him.

Maybe Judas needed the money. But he also needed love and friendship, meaning and purpose. He also needed healing from the sin that was blocking his ability to see Jesus as he truly was. At one time, Judas understood that following Jesus could fulfill his every need, but now he had decided to look elsewhere.

When did Judas stop going to Jesus for what he needed? Perhaps it happened gradually as the initial excitement of being a disciple began to wear off. Maybe he thought he had learned all he could from Jesus. Maybe he realized that Jesus was offering things he wasn’t really interested in after all. What a tragedy this was! Judas stopped coming to Jesus just when Jesus was about to give him the greatest gifts possible.

What was Jesus ready to give Judas—and what is he ready to give us? Let’s look at just a few of the great gifts he is holding out to us. At the Last Supper, he revealed that he is ready to give us his own Body and Blood. And not just once, but “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:26). On the cross, he revealed that he is ready to give us forgiveness for all our sins. At the resurrection, he revealed that he is ready to give us the hope of everlasting life. And in his ascension, he revealed that he is ready to give us the gift of his everlasting ministry of intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). What he is willing to give us is priceless!

We are in the middle of Holy Week. This is the time when Jesus wants to show us how much he has for us. Let’s make sure we are open to receiving it. Let’s bring him our questions, our needs, and our longings and ask him to fill us. There is so much he wants to give and to reveal. Expect more!

“Jesus, thank you for giving yourself to me so completely! Help me turn my heart to you so that you can fill me.”

Isaiah 50:4-9
Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34
Matthew 26:14-25